On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:49:15 -0400, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:



As for opting for injections, that's fine if you're lucky enough to have A1c
readings of less than 7.0. Some people's systems just won't allow it, even
if they do multiple blood-glucose tests and inject ten times a day. I test 5
times a day and inject 6 or more separate doses, but my A1c runs around 7.2.
The newest pumps should get someone like me down to something under 6.8.

7.0 will carry you if you have good genes and haven't been diabetic for more
than 10 or 15 years. I have the right genes, but it's 35 years for me. Until
the eye problem I was the only Type 1 (juvenile) diabetic I knew with more
than 30 years on the clock who had no major problems. Now I have one, but,
thanks to advanced medical technology (laser surgery) I may not have the
problem again. Maybe.



Sliding slightly off topic but...

Today I got my best A1c result ever. Still only 6.5, but this is only a month
after I changed the way I was doing things.

I'd had to do some heavy duty gardening and didn't want to be fighting my
blood sugar all day. So I just took the long acting insulin and no short
acting stuff. I then tested every hour (I used to test about that often
anyway, It helps not to be paying for the test strips . Then, If my blood
sugar was starting to trend down, I'd have a quarter of a slice of bread. The
work went very well and by blood sugar control was far better than normal.

This progressed to using a similar technique all the time. I now don't have
any breakfast. Have salad/meat/veg with virtually no carbohydrate for lunch
and currently, have a normal evening meal. If I can train SWMBO to put only a
token amount of rice or potato on my plate, that'll get even better. If I get
hungry, I eat more salad stuff. I don't get too regular with all the rabbit
food. The bloody calcium channel blockers for the heart see to that...

The result of these changes is I used to have
15U slow acting first thing
10U quick acting for breakfast
6U ditto for lunch
10U ditto for evening meal
three or four more top-ups during the day
15U slow acting before bed

Now I have
15U slow acting first thing
2-3 U quick acting adjustment in the morning
2U for lunch
8U evening meal
15U slow acting before bed.


The very significant part is that without all of the quick acting stuff, I'm
no-longer chasing the blood sugar readings up and down all the time. If I need
to go into the computer room and move two or three racks full of servers, I'm
not in danger of falling over. If I sit on my arse all day, I don't need to
keep taking more insulin. My blood glucose readings change far more gradually
and can be corrected with a single biscuit or one or two units of insulin.

Before, If I saw my blood Glucose at 4mmol/l (72mg/dl) I'd get worried,
because I knew that within 20 minutes it was likely to be dangerously low.
Now, if I see that reading I just think I've got it right. I find that I've
got better control with less testing.

Might not help you, but it certainly has worked for me. I wish I'd learned how
to do this 40 years ago.

Don't tell Don on PM, He'd say "I told you so":-)


Mark Rand
RTFM